Author Archives: Joel D. Hirst

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About Joel D. Hirst

Joel D. Hirst is a novelist and a playwright. His most recently released work is "The Unraveling" -- a novel about how it all came apart. He has also written "An Excess of Nationalism", a novel about Soviet Armenia. "Dreams of the Defeated: A Play in Two Acts" is about a political prisoner in a dystopian regime. And "I, Charles, From the Camps" is the story of a young man from the African camps. "Lords of Misrule" is the an epic tale about the making and unmaking of a jihadist in the Sahara. Finally, Hirst has re-published his "San Porfirio" series into one volume "The Epic Tale of Revolutionary Venezuela", about the rise and fall of socialist Venezuela (with magic).

The Color and the Chaos of the Crucifixion

Posted on October 26, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Colors and chaos. That is how I imagine that fateful day. The demons celebrating, had they after all actually defeated God? The angels standing watch, they were told not to intervene as their master was murdered. I wonder what they … Continue reading →

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Learning to See

Posted on October 21, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I have an old friend and mentor who is also a birdwatcher. “It’s not so much that I am interested in birds,” he once told me. “It’s that being a bird watcher has forced me to slow down. To be … Continue reading →

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A Pair of Fall Days

Posted on October 13, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I think they are a pair: https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst

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Fall is Here

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Fall https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst?i=319328-54

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Flower Still Lifes

Posted on October 7, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Which do you prefer?

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Eltz Castle, Germany

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Europe is a museum to its remarkable past. After the great wars, they tried to build a continent safe from war and violence and poverty. It was a remarkable experiment, which is now mostly coming to an end. Such things … Continue reading →

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Protest Art — USAID

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

A group of Sudanese women stand, huddled together for protection against the sandstorm. They have likely fled the Janjaweed (current RSF), or maybe the army, or maybe both. All they have in the world is a tin pot and a … Continue reading →

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Eiffel Tower and the Seine, Paris

Posted on September 19, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Paris does abide. The last time I was in France was for my sister in law’s wedding, in Grenoble in 2019 I think. Before then, it was for a few days with my wife and my other sister in law, … Continue reading →

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9/11 @ 25

Posted on September 11, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

For about ten years I fought in the “War on Terror”. My work was in three theaters, all in Africa (Uganda, Mali, Nigeria) against ISIS, Al Shabbab, Al Qaida and Boko Haram. I mapped jihadi movements throughout the Lake Chad … Continue reading →

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Colorful Castle

Posted on September 8, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I did a second one of these, more colorful. Which do you prefer? https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst?i=319328-51

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